Heart Skipped a Beat
by consultingpathologist
Summary: Sherlock shares his feelings for Molly - with his violin.


"I really hope this doesn't have anything to do with that one case you had where someone got a, uh, special _present_ in the mail," Molly said walking through the doorway holding up her phone with the text he'd sent earlier that day on the screen.

 _Please come to Baker Street at your earliest convenience. I need your ears. - SH_

That earned her a chuckle from Sherlock who clearly remembered the case of the jealous lover and the body parts sent by post. "No your ears are safe where they are. I was actually wondering if you might listen to something and give me your honest opinion."

He reached down to the table and picked up his violin.

"Oh." Whatever reasons she'd been thinking were behind his cryptic text, this was surely not one of them.

"Of course."

With the bow he gestured for her to have a seat–in _his_ chair.

"I'm composing a song for John and Mary and I need your feedback."

The wedding was only a few short weeks away. Molly had heard bits and pieces about the wedding plans from Sherlock and John as they chatted in the lab. She had just found the perfect dress to wear tucked away in a vintage shop in Covent Garden. It was yellow and floral and made her feel happy when she wore it.

"I'd love to hear it," she said settling into the chair.

Sherlock nodded once and lifted the instrument to secure under his chin. He placed the bow against the strings and after a pause began to play a sweet, simple waltz that Molly could picture the happy couple dancing to. As she watched Sherlock play, she saw a different side of him. The lines in his forehead relaxed as he moved about with the flow of the music. He was a natural performer with a graceful air that commanded attention. She couldn't quite take her eyes off of him if she wanted to. When the song was over, he looked at her almost a bit nervously and cleared his throat.

"Well?"

"It was perfect, Sherlock. Honestly. How thoughtful of you to write them a song."

He shrugged and lifted the instrument to his chin once more. "There's actually another song I wanted to play."

From the first note, Molly could tell that this song was different. It was an almost mournful tune, a mix of gentle melancholy and deep passion. She could feel pain radiate off the strings as he played. The soft haunting melody built to a heartbreaking crescendo before ending with a softer and sweeter take of the earlier refrain. He didn't look at the sheet of music this time and instead played with his eyes closed. When it was over, they both remained silent. Molly looked at him for an answer but Sherlock avoided her eyes. He busied himself with rearranging the sheets of music on the stand.

"Sherlock, that was…beautiful," she said finally, not feeling confident to say much more for fear of her voice shaking.

He made a sound in the back of his throat.

"Who was that one for?"

He looked up at her and something in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

"I…I-"

A knock at the door interrupted him.

" _Yoo-hoo_. I thought you two might care for some tea," Mrs. Hudson said entering the room with a tray in hand.

"Tea. Yes. Brilliant!" Sherlock replied a little over-enthusiastically.

Mrs. Hudson eyed him with suspicion as she set the tray on the table. She looked at Molly with the same strange expression as if she'd picked up on the atmosphere of the room before she'd walked in.

"Thanks, Mrs. Hudson. That's very sweet of you," Molly said with a bit of a forced smile.

Mrs. Hudson looked back and forth at the pair of them. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything. I just heard that beautiful music downstairs and had to come up. That was a new song wasn't it, Sherlock?"

"Not really," he said as he put the violin back in its case.

"Well I hadn't heard it before," she said turning to Molly once again. "He played me the one for John and Mary. Lovely, isn't it?"

Molly nodded. "It'll be perfect for them."

Mrs. Hudson poured the tea and handed them each a cup. "You didn't play me that second one the other day, Sherlock, so I assumed it was new."

"That was only the first time I've played it."

"Ah, well, what a treat for you, dear."

Molly could only muster a nod. She felt a strange flutter in her gut and was grateful for the tea to help settle her stomach.

Mrs. Hudson gave them each a long look again before making her excuses and heading back downstairs.

They drank their tea and chatted about work for the rest of the evening. Though the conversation was light, Molly still felt the heaviness that had settled in the room during the song. They both carefully avoided the topic, but it's presence still loomed as though the sound was still reverberating off the walls.

Tom had gone out with some friends to a pub and Molly was grateful for Sherlock's message because she hadn't felt like spending the night by herself. Though she and Tom were in the midst of a rough patch in their relationship, it didn't seem like anything they couldn't work through. Or so she'd thought. As she left Baker Street that night, she felt an uncertainty settle in her bones. Something had changed.

* * *

Molly watched Sherlock as he played for the newly married couple. The song sounded even better in the large open room that was filled with love and happiness. Her heart swelled thinking about the speech he'd given and now his gift of music for two people he cared deeply for only added to it. It wasn't until the song was over that she realized she had been watching him the whole time and had missed John dipping Mary to the delight of everyone in the room.

The DJ turned up the music and everyone spread out on the dance floor. She looked around for Tom and spied him near Mrs. Hudson. He smiled at her as she made her way over to him, but something felt off. She tried joining in the dancing but couldn't shake the feeling that she'd felt since that night at Baker Street.

Sherlock was standing with John and Mary in the middle of the dance floor. He said something and they all laughed before John and Mary went off on their own. Sherlock looked so forlorn standing by himself, it broke her heart. She turned away when he glanced around the room not wanting to make eye contact for fear that he could read what was in her eyes.

When she looked back, he was making his way out the room. Her heart began to race. She felt that she was standing on the edge of a precipice. It would be a moment that she would always regret if she did nothing.

"Something wrong?" Tom shouted over the music interrupting her thoughts. His face was sweating slightly due to the combination of champagne and dancing.

"I need to go talk to somebody. I'll be right back." She hurried away before he could ask any further questions.

Sherlock had already made it outside and was pulling on his coat. The night had turned cold. She suddenly wished she'd brought her jacket, but it was too late to turn back.

"Sherlock, wait!"

He turned around, an expression of genuine surprise lit up his face. "Molly."

"You can't leave. It's just getting started."

He smiled. "These kinds of _things_ aren't really my area."

Though he meant it to be light-hearted, Molly only felt sad. She rubbed her bare arms to warm them and finally decided to ask the question that had been on her mind for weeks.

"The other song you played that night–who was that for?"

He licked his bottom lip and walked slowly over to her until he was standing almost directly above her.

"It was for you. Mrs. Hudson wasn't mistaken. I'd never played it before. Until that point it had only lived in my head. I just wanted you to hear it, if only once, before…" he pointed towards the large windows where everyone could be seen dancing inside, "before it's you in there having your first dance."

Her eyes flooded with tears. She had already known the answer to the question. She had known from the first note of the song as he played it. It was a feeling that could only be communicated through music. He had told her his feelings through the song and she had felt it as clearly as if he'd spoken the words out loud. _Love_. She could see it on his face now.

"Oh Sherlock." She wiped her eyes before the tears could stream down her cheeks and ruin her make-up, though frankly that had already happened during his speech. She wondered if his heart was breaking as much as hers.

"You'd better go back inside. It's freezing out here." He sniffed slightly and Molly knew it was because of the cold.

When she made no motion to leave, he smiled gently and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Goodbye, Molly," he whispered, sniffing again, and turned around to leave.

Molly watched him walk away. Everything was clear now. Though she didn't want to go back inside, she knew what she had to do. It wasn't the night or the place she had wanted to do it, but she needed to be fair to Tom.

A slow song was playing when she stepped back inside. The couples now danced close together whispering into each others' ears. It was Molly's turn to feel all alone on the dance floor. She spied Tom sitting dejectedly at one of the tables, wine glass in hand. When he looked up and read her face she could tell that he already knew.

"Tom, we need to talk."

* * *

Title comes from a song by The XX:

 _It's been a while_

 _And you've found someone better_

 _But I've been waiting too long to give this up_

 _The more I see, I understand_

 _But sometimes, I still need you_

 _Sometimes, I still need you_


End file.
